All publications herein are incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each individual publication or patent application was specifically and individually indicated to be incorporated by reference. The following description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
TL1A is a member of the TNF superfamily, with expression of TL1A mainly confined to inflamed tissues of colon and small bowel, and is particularly expressed on gut-homing CD4+CCR9+ mucosal T cells. TL1A has been demonstrated to synergize with IL-12 and IL-18 in the stimulation of IFN-γ by peripheral CD4+ T cells and to increase IL-2 driven proliferation and IFN-γ production by peripheral T cells. TL1A mediates a strong co-stimulation of TH1 cells by enhancing IFN-gamma production by peripheral CD4+ and mucosal CCR9+ T cells. TL1A plays an important role in the development of chronic colitis, experimental autoimmune encephalymyelitis, and allergic lung inflammation by modulating TH1, TH17, and TH2 responses suggesting an important role in chronic inflammatory processes. However, the exact mechanism how TL1A enhances TH1 and TH17 responses remains to be elucidated.